


Pilgrimage (On Indefinite Hiatus)

by NavigatorV



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Post-Game(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-03 01:24:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11521608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NavigatorV/pseuds/NavigatorV
Summary: Who am I? Where does the truth lie? Luke has once again found himself asking these questions and has chosen to begin a journey to Akzeriuth. There, maybe he'll at last find the answer he's been looking for. But is it ever really that simple?





	Pilgrimage (On Indefinite Hiatus)

My hands felt cold in the night air. A beautiful moon sat full in the sky as the water of the beach lapped at my feet. A cool breeze blew my hair aside as a voice broke the barrier keeping me in my own silent world.

“If you stay out here too long, you're gonna get sick you know.”

I turned to see the familiar face that matched that familiar voice. Gailardia Galan Gardios, though I knew him as Guy. His cool green eyes seemed to pierce through any secret I might hide, so it was only a matter of time before he'd jump to the heart of the matter.

“You're not going to find anything out just by looking at the moon. Come on back inside.”

I followed without question and soon found myself in the manor I had found myself staying at for the past six months. A warm fire crackled as we sat in a cozy room.

“You were thinking about it again, weren't you?”

At long last, I opened my mouth. My throat felt like it had swallowed daggers recently.

“Yeah. I've thought and thought, but I'm still at a loss.”

It all started about a year ago. I suddenly awoke from complete oblivion, wearing barely more than rags. All around me were the ruins of a once grand place. I knew it immediately. This was Eldrant. The place where I died. It was only later that I found out that two years had passed since that final battle, but the memories were clear in my mind. Facing the last of the God-Generals. A duel between a man and his replica. Facing my old master.

All of it was fresh in me. But that's where the problem lay. I remembered too much. That day, I remember dying twice. The first was surrounded by enemies, blades skewered all throughout my body. The second was as buildings and monuments crumbled around me, while I cradled the body of the me that had died.

And it wasn't just that day. I remember living for 26 years total, when really I should only remember 18 at most. Being kidnapped by Van. Learning to walk and speak. Being raised by the Order of Lorelei. Being trapped in my manor. Destroying the town of Akzeriuth. Failing to stop my replica from doing just that. How is it that both sets of memories could live inside me at once?

With only the clothes on my back and the sword laying next to me, the Key of Lorelei, I made my long, arduous journey to the only place I could think of if I wanted to find the people most important to me. Along the way I had managed to pick up clothes and provisions, so the journey was manageable, but it still took me quite some time. But eventually I made it. I had found Tataroo Valley. There, as if they had been waiting for me there for ages, stood my dearest friends. They had all grown somewhat, but it was undeniable that it was them. After an excited exchange, we all had to sit down and think. What was I supposed to do? Return to my childhood home and live as I always had, ignoring the fact that I had been considered dead for two long years? Go to Daath and retake the place of a God-General?

In the end, no one could decide, especially with my memory the way it was. For the time being, we decided that keeping me in Guy's manor would be best. It was a neutral place that neither version of me had ever been to, so it would be excellent in allowing me to deliberate. But I just couldn't stop. No matter how hard I thought, I just didn't know what to do. Who was I?

“Luke!”

I snapped out of my daze and looked over to Guy. He had clearly been trying to get my attention for the past several minutes.

“You know you have all the time in the world, right? You let yourself get too caught up in questions and psyche yourself out. Just let everything go and you'll find what it is you're looking for.”

“Thanks. But I haven't gotten anywhere in six months. Something has to change. But I have no clue what!”

My fist pounded on the wall as my eyes squeezed shut. I then felt a strong slap hit the back of my head.

“That's exactly what I was talking about. Just calm down for half a second.”

I did as commanded and sat down in a nearby chair. The next several hours were spent in careful silence. If not for the noise of the fire snapping and churning at the sacrifice of the logs, it would have been almost unnervingly quiet. Eventually, however, I found the words I needed to say.

“I'm going to Akzeriuth.”

“How do you plan to get there? It's nearly half a globe away.”

“Still, I think I might finally find something, anything to go on.”

“And if you don't? That entire trip will have just been a waste. How would you plan to deal with it if that turned out to be the case?”

“I.....don't know. But it's the only thing I can think of. I'm not going to let it be for nothing. Even if I don't figure something out, I'll....”

I had no clue what to say next. I had just let the words tumble out and now had no idea what I was even trying to tell him.

“Well, we can't have you sitting restless around here. Let's get everything gathered up tonight so we're ready to leave tomorrow.”

“Wait, you're not stopping me?”

“Of course not. If you think that this is the best way to go about it, who am I to stop you. No, I definitely have to let you go. You need this to find yourself. I'm 100% certain.”

“I see. Thanks.”

“Don't mention it. Seriously. If any servants find out, they might try to stop us.”

“Us? You're going too Guy?”

“Of course! What makes you think I'd let you do something so stupid all by yourself?”

I couldn't help but laugh. The rest of the night, we spent making our preparations. In the morning, Guy left a note letting the servants know that he had to leave on some urgent business and to have the manor made ready for his return, whenever that might be. With all of that out of the way, we set forth, ready to begin one last journey.

 


End file.
